A business has been fined £300,000 for bombarding people in debt with more than 5.5 million unlawful texts, including fake bailiff threats.
Manchester-based KRA Consultancy sent messages appearing to come from bailiffs to people’s phones to frighten them into responding, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said.
The firm was found to have sent 5,575,715 unsolicited direct marketing texts between April 2022 and May 2025, promoting debt solutions to people who had already been turned down for loans.
Andy Curry, the ICO’s head of investigations, said it was a “calculated, unlawful scheme, and it caused real fear and distress to people who were already struggling with debt”.
People in financial difficulty deserved support, not exploitation, Curry said.
“KRA deliberately sought these people out – knowing they might be especially susceptible to this kind of high-pressure marketing – and bombarded them with illegal texts,” said Curry.
“When that wasn’t enough, it sent fake threats telling people bailiffs were coming to their homes to remove their belongings.”
He said KRA Consultancy showed complete disregard for the law throughout the investigation and the £300,000 fine – one of the largest for nuisance marketing in recent years – reflected that.
“It should leave no doubt that we will pursue any company that thinks it can evade the law and prey on the public,” he said.